The staggering amounts Chelsea can bank in Club World Cup prize money
Chelsea have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, a competition which could make a serious difference to the club’s balance sheet.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues beat Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarter-final, setting up a semi-final clash against Fluminense before what would be a European powerhouse (Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or PSG) in the semi-finals.
We’ve broken down exactly how much Chelsea have earned in prize money by making it to the final four, and how much more they could make by going all the way.
How much have Chelsea earned from making the semi-finals?
So far Chelsea have banked approximately £55million, with their quarter-final win the most lucrative result yet.
Progression through to the semis was worth £15.3million on top of the roughly £40million they’d already earned by making it through the group stage. Beating Benfica in the Round of 16 contributed £9.6million to their prize pot.
“We’re very happy. It’s a fantastic day,” Maresca told reporters after Chelsea’s victory over Palmeiras.
“The semi-finals of the Club World Cup – the best clubs in the world – and we are there.
“Probably for us it has been the perfect night because we won and Estevao scored, so it was very good for all of us.
“The first half was very good and we finished very good but the first 15-20 minutes of the second half we struggled.
“But it is normal. At this stage of the season, the energy levels from South American teams are a bit different compared to us. Overall we did very well with that.”
How much more could Chelsea make in prize money?
The figures just go up and up as the tournament goes on.
On top of the £55million that Chelsea have already earned, victory over Fluminense in the semi-finals would bank them another £23.2million.
The Blues would likely be underdogs in a potential final, particularly if its Real Madrid or European champions PSG waiting for them in New Jersey , but if they can pull off a shock win that’d would be worth a whopping £30million. Woof.
So added to the £55million that Chelsea have already earned, they can almost double that to take their total earnings to £108million if they go all the way.
That would go some way to covering their summer spending spree, with an estimated £85million splurged on new forwards Liam Delap and Joao Pedro – who made his Chelsea debut against Palmeiras – and about £154million spent in total when you factor in pre-arranged moves for Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez.
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